A little less than six months after he suffered a broken jaw in a
loss to Anthony
Johnson, former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight
titleholder Andrei
Arlovski returned to the win column.

Arlovski weathered a pair of knockdowns to eke out a unanimous
decision over the American Kickboxing Academy’s Mike Kyle in the
World
Series of Fighting 5 main event on Saturday at the Revel Resort
and Casino in Atlantic City, N.J. All three judges sided with
Arlovski (20-10, 2-1 WSOF), awarding the Belarusian 29-28
scores.

Kyle’s power and hand speed proved problematic for Arlovski, as the
33-year-old Boise, Idaho, native put “The Pit Bull” on his rear end
with a thudding right hand to the side of the head in the first
round. A violent volley of hammerfists followed, but Arlovski
survived by clinging to his opponent’s leg until the cobwebs
cleared. Kyle floored the Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts
representative again early in round three, though Arlovski sprang
back to his feet almost immediately.

In between the two knockdowns, the two heavyweight headliners
traded with ill intent. Arlovski featured a rolling right hook,
landing it often while mixing in the occasional jab and leg kick.
He got the best of a wild of exchange in the second round, where he
forced a briefly rattled Kyle to shoot for a takedown.

Branch Grinds Down Villefort

A.
Geathers

Branch wasn't fun, but he was effective.

Takedowns, ground-and-pound and airtight submission defense carried
David
Branch to a one-sided unanimous decision over Blackzilians
representative Danillo
Villefort in the WSOF middleweight tournament semifinals. All
three judges scored it the same: 30-27 for Branch.

Branch (13-3, 3-0 WSOF) struck for takedowns in all three rounds,
as the Renzo Gracie
protégé short-circuited his Brazilian counterpart. He did his best
work in the third round, where he delivered a takedown, scrambled
to Villefort’s back and fished for the rear-naked
choke.

Though the submission did not materialize, Branch had effectively
punctuated his latest victory. The 31-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu
black belt has compiled a 5-1 mark since being released by the
UFC.

Villefort (14-5, 1-1 WSOF) has lost two of his last three
fights.

‘Caveman’ Mehmen KOs Gracie

Photo:
Lucas Noonan/WSOF

Mehman put Gracie away spectacularly.

American Top Team’s Derrick
Mehmen knocked out 2009 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission
Wrestling World Championships silver medalist Rolles
Gracie Jr. with a winging overhand right in the second round of
their heavyweight duel. Mehmen (16-5, 1-0 WSOF) finished it 2:40
into round two.

Up until the knockout, Gracie (8-2, 0-1 WSOF) controlled the match
with a stiff jab. Over and over again he stuck his left hand in
Mehmen’s mug. However, he was fighting on borrowed time.

In the second round, Mehman cracked the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black
belt with a clubbing right hand and watched Gracie turn and take a
Ric Flair-esque nosedive to the mat. No follow-up strikes were
required.

Karakhanyan Guillotine Submits Lowe

A.
Geathers

Karakhanyan took his first opening, squeezed
it and seized it against Lowe.

Karakhanyan (22-3-1, 1-0 WSOF) ripped into the Jefferson City,
Tenn., native with kicks to the head, body and legs, utilizing a
noticeable height and reach advantage. Unable to establish a
foothold in the standup, Lowe turned to his wrestling. However,
Karakhanyan ensnared him with an arm-in guillotine choke after an
ill-advised takedown attempt, trapped him
inside his guard and elicited the tapout.

A Tachi Palace Fights champion, Karakhanyan has won his last eight
bouts.

NJSACB Scraps Mutapcic-Taylor Semifinal

A planned middleweight tournament semifinal between Elvis
Mutapcic and Jesse Taylor
was canceled at the last minute after Mutapcic was allegedly seen
taking medication backstage by a commission official. Shortly after
the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board ruled that Mutapcic
would not be allowed to compete, the 27-year-old former Maximum
Fighting Championship titleholder denied the allegation in an
interview.

“I don’t know what [the official] saw,” Mutapcic said. “I’ll take a
blood test or give you a hair sample. I’ve got nothing in my
system. I guarantee it was not me taking anything.”

Prelims: Glenn, Rivera Notch Unanimous Decisions

A.
Geathers

Dugulubgov showed he's a leg man.

In preliminary action, Roufusport prospect Rick Glenn
earned a unanimous verdict against Artur Rofi in a
featherweight clash, procuring 29-28 nods on all three scorecards;
Team Tiger Schulmann’s Jimmie
Rivera took a unanimous decision from Sidemar
Honorio in their encounter at 135 pounds, earning 30-27, 29-28
and 29-28 scores from the judges; Richard
Patishnock captured a unanimous verdict over Gregor
Gracie in a welterweight affair, sweeping the scorecards by
30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 marks; Ozzie Dugulubgov coaxed a tapout from
Andrew
Osborne with an Achilles lock 72 seconds into round two of
their 160-pound catchweight tilt;
and Neiman
Gracie submitted Darren Costa
with an
armbar 3:57 in the first round of their middleweight scrap.